Heart valves and more specifically prosthetic aortic and mitral valves are manufactured and prepared for insertion into patients during a surgical procedure. The valves must be sterilized after manufacture and stored in a container for shipment to a hospital or surgery center. The valve is then removed from the package, rinsed and prepared for placement in a patient during surgery.
The container preserves the sterile condition of the valve, protects the valve from damage and minimizes the effort needed by the surgical team to prepare and insert the valve. Sterilization is critical and challenging in working with prosthetic devices. The devices are made in a non-sterile environment and sterilized before packaging and shipping. The valve is usually stored in a sterile solution such as a 0.2% Glutaraldehyde solution after sterilization. Glass jars are commonly used because glass resists reacting with the solution, is inexpensive and can withstand sterilization. A retainer holds the valve in a fixed position inside the container to keep it submerged in the solution.
Prior art designs to store and ship prosthetic heart valves include U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,619 to Cohen assigned to Osteonics Corp entitled “PACKAGE WITH TRAY FOR SECURING AND PRESENTING A STERILE PROSTHETIC IMPLANT ELEMENT”. In the '619 patent, a package for holding the prosthetic heart valve has a tray which is stored in a hinged receptacle which is sealed to protect against contamination. In all, three containers are used including the sealing cover. In the Dohm U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,391, entitled “PACKAGING HOLDER FOR HEART VALVE PROSTHESIS”, the prosthetic is mounted on a holder having a post. The holder is suspended in a plurality of trays each having a lid. The trays are heat sealed to protect the valve. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,342 to Caudillo for “PACKAGING FOR MITRAL OR AORTIC HEART VLAVE DEVICE” an outer shell is screwed together to form a housing over a container having an interchangeable holder for an aortic or mitral valve. U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,956, entitled, “STORAGE CONTAINER”, describes a container for holding a prosthetic device in a high humidity environment of sterile liquid but not submersing the device.
Manufacturers are making a variety of valve designs and sizes. This variety of size and configuration demands a flexible packaging system to reduce inventory of valve containers and retainers. Accordingly, there is a need for a system or apparatus for packaging prosthetic heart valves that can be configured to different valve designs, valve sizes, and styles with minimal changes. There is also a need for a storage system that is easy to open.